Crack Grade B - Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Expansion (PDF)

Crack Grade B 1 28th August Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Cabinet accords approval for progressive expansion of Central Sector Scheme of 'Agricultu...

Crack Grade B 1 28th August Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Cabinet accords approval for progressive expansion of Central Sector Scheme of 'Agriculture Infrastructure Fund'  Why in News? o The Union Cabinet has approved the progressive expansion in Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’ to make it more attractive, impactful and inclusive. o About Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’:  It aims at expanding the scope of eligible projects and integrate additional supportive measures to foster a robust agricultural infrastructure ecosystem.  Viable Farming Assets: To allow all eligible beneficiaries of scheme for creation of infrastructure covered under 'viable projects for building community farming assets'.  Integrated Processing projects: To include integrated primary secondary processing projects in list of eligible activities under AIF. - However standalone secondary projects would not be eligible and would be covered under MoFPI schemes.  PM KUSUM Component-A: To allow convergence of Component- A of PM-KUSUM with AIF for farmer/group of farmers/ Farmer Producer Organizations/ Cooperatives/ Panchayats. - The alignment of these initiatives aims to promote sustainable clean energy solutions alongside the development of agricultural infrastructure.  NABSanrakshan: In addition to CGTMSE, it is proposed to extend AIF credit guarantee coverage of FPOs through the NABSanrakshan Trustee Company Pvt. Ltd. also. - This expansion of credit guarantee options is intended to enhance the financial security and creditworthiness of FPOs, thereby encouraging more investments in agricultural infrastructure projects. o Developments under the AIF scheme since its launch: www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 2  Since its launch by the Prime Minister in 2020, AIF has been instrumental in supporting creation of 6623 warehouses, 688 cold stores and 21 silos projects, resulting in additional storage capacity of about 500 LMT in the country. - This includes 465 LMT of dry storage and 35 LMT of cold storage capacity. - With this additional storage capacity 18.6 LMT of food grains and 3.44 LMT of horticulture produce can be saved annually. - Rs. 47,575 Crore has been sanctioned for 74,508 projects under AIF till date.  These sanctioned projects have mobilized an investment of Rs 78,596 Crore in agriculture sector, out of which Rs.78,433 Crore has been mobilised from private entities.  In addition, infrastructure projects sanctioned under AIF have helped in generating more than 8.19 Lakh rural employment opportunities in the agriculture sector. Ministry of Education Revised Definition of Literacy  Why in News? o Ministry of Education has upgraded the definition of literacy. o New Definition of Literacy: - Literacy will now be defined as, “the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension, i.e., to identify, understand, interpret and create, along with critical life skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy, etc.” o 100% or Full Literacy definition: - The Department has also set a benchmark for what constitutes 100% or full literacy within the Indian context, “Achieving ninety-five per cent literacy (95%) in a State/UT may be considered as equivalent to fully literate.” - This enhanced definition was developed through a collaborative process involving experts from NCERT and UNESCO, among other experts. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 3  The recent achievement of over 97% literacy in UT of Ladakh under the ULLAS scheme further demonstrates the effectiveness of efforts and sets a benchmark for others to emulate. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Special Skill Development Project Empowering Adolescent Girls and Women for High-Demand, Non-Traditional Careers  Why in News? o The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) conducted an orientation session for a pilot project. o Special Skill Development Project Empowering Adolescent Girls and Women for High-Demand, Non-Traditional Careers pilot project: - It aimed at empowering adolescent girls and women across 27 aspirational districts and special areas in nine states. - It is a strategic partnership between Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. - Training will be conducted under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0, targeting approximately 4000 beneficiaries and utilise existing PMKK, JSS centres, and government educational institutions across 27 aspirational districts and 60+ Training Centres. - The program is with the focus on training in non-traditional and high-demand job roles, with a strong emphasis on digital and soft skills development. - Additionally, the initiative will offer comprehensive support, including counselling, career guidance, financial literacy, digital literacy, and job placement assistance. - The project will also facilitate connections to e-commerce platforms and provide sensitization on POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment). - Furthermore, it is expected to boost female enrolments in our Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 4 - Special Provision of Rs.1000 per month for transport conveyance assistance to all female trainees via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). - The project lifecycle will be managed via the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) - This program is built on the principle that a paid, formal economy should see greater participation from women, which is currently at 37%. - Our goal is to raise this to 60%, in line with other developed nations. Ministry of Power Cabinet approves Central Financial Assistance towards Equity Participation by the State Governments of the North Eastern Region  Why in News? o The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for providing Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to the State Governments of NER towards their equity participation for development of Hydro Electric Projects in the North Eastern Region (NER) through Joint Venture (JV) Collaboration between State entities and Central Public Sector Undertakings. o About Scheme: Central Financial Assistance to the State Governments of NER towards their equity participation for development of Hydro Electric Projects in the North-eastern Region: - Total Outlay: Rs.4136 crore. - Time-Period: FY2024-2025 to FY2031-32 - A cumulative hydro capacity of about 15000 MW would be supported under the scheme. - The scheme would be funded through 10% Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for North Eastern Region from the total outlay of the Ministry of Power. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 5 - The Scheme formulated by the Ministry of Power provides for formation of a Joint Venture (JV) Company for all the projects of a Central PSU with the State Govt. - The grant towards equity portion of the State Government of NER would be capped at 24% of the total project equity subject to a maximum of Rs.750 crore per project. - The cap of Rs.750 crore for each project would be revisited, if required, on a case-to-case basis. - The ratio of equity of the CPSU and the State Government in the JV would be maintained at the time of disbursing of the grant. - Central Financial Assistance would be limited to only viable Hydro Electric Projects. States would be required to waive / stagger free power and / or reimburse SGST to make the project viable. - Development of hydroelectric projects shall also contribute towards realization of India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) of establishing 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030. Ministry of Finance Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) — National Mission for Financial Inclusion — completes a decade of successful implementation  Why in News? o The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 28th August 2014, completes 10 years of successful implementation. o Achievements of PM-JDY:  It is being the largest financial inclusion initiative in the world.  Total deposit balances under PMJDY Accounts stand at Rs. 2,31,236 crores, deposits have increased about 15 times.  PMJDY accounts grow 3.6-fold from 15.67 crore in March 2015 to 53.14 crore as on 14-08-2024. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 6  Around 55.6% (29.56 crore) Jan-Dhan account holders are women and around 66.6% (35.37 crore) Jan Dhan accounts in rural and semi-urban areas.  36.14 crore RuPay cards issued to PMJDY accountholders, which also provide for a ₹2 lakh accident insurance cover.  PMJDY account holders are also eligible for getting an overdraft of up to Rs. 10,000 to cover exigencies.  The Jan-Dhan Aadhaar and mobile (JAM) trinity, with PMJDY as one of its pillars.  Average deposit per account is Rs. 4,352 as on 14.08.2024. Avg. Deposit per account has increased 4 times over August 15.  With the issue of over 36.06 crore RuPay debit cards under PMJDY, installation of 89.67 lakh PoS/mPoS machines and the introduction of mobile based payment systems like UPI, the total number of digital transactions have gone up from 2,338 crore in FY 18-19 to 16,443 crore in FY 23-24.  The total number of UPI financial transactions have increased from 535 crore in FY 2018-19 to 13,113 crore in FY 2023-24.  Total number of RuPay card transactions at PoS & e-commerce have increased from 67 crore in FY 2017-18 to 96.78 crore in FY 2023-24.  Loan sanctioned under Mudra loans, which rose at a compounded annual rate of 9.8% in five years from FY 2019 to FY 2024. Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 7 Cabinet approves 12 Industrial nodes/cities under National Industrial Corridor Development Programme  Why in News? o Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved 12 new project proposals under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP). o With these corridors India will have a grand necklace of Industrial Smart Cities. o Investment: Rs. 28,602 crores. o Spanning across 10 states and strategically planned along 6 major corridors. o These industrial areas will be located in: - Khurpia in Uttrakhand - Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab - Dighi in, Maharashtra - Palakkad in Kerela - Agra and Prayagraj in UP - Gaya in Bihar - Zaheerabad in Telangana - Orvakal and Kopparthy in AP - Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.  These industrial nodes will act as catalysts for achieving $2 trillion in exports by 2030, reflecting the government's vision of a self-reliant and globally competitive India.  Aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Phase- I MoU was signed between the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) and the Indian Port Association (IPA)  Why in News? o A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC) and the Indian Port Association (IPA), averting an indefinite strike that was set to disrupt operations across 12 major ports in India. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 8 o The MoU facilitates the revision of the wage structure with the benefit of 8.5% on the aggregate amount of basic pay as of 31-12-2021, plus 30% VDA as of 1-1-2022, shall be granted. o The periodicity of the settlement is set for five years, from 1-1-2022 to 31- 12-2026. - The new pay scales, effective from 1-1-2022, will be formulated according to existing practices. - A special allowance of Rs. 500 per month will be provided to working employees during the operative period of the settlement, from 1-1-2022 until 31-12-2026 o This agreement marks a significant step forward in ensuring fair and equitable treatment for port workers. Launch of the Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program or Vehicle Scrapping Policy  Why in the news: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched the Voluntary Vehicle Modernization Program or Vehicle Scrapping Policy. o Reason: To create an ecosystem for phasing out unfit polluting vehicles across the country. o Implemented by: Network of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) and Automated Testing Stations (ATSs) o Findings: - Replace the old polluting fleet with the less polluting newer fleet. - For this purpose, Commercial Vehicle and Passenger Vehicle manufacturers have shown a willingness to offer discounts for a limited period of two years and one year respectively. - These discounts will further incentivize scrapping of End-of-Life Vehicles. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 9 Commercial Vehicles Case 1:  Offered discount equivalent to 3% of the Ex- Showroom Price for a commercial cargo vehicle with more than 3.5 tonnes GVW scrapped by the Owner within last 6 months Case 2:  A discount equivalent to 1.5% of the Ex- Showroom Price for a commercial cargo vehicle with less than 3.5 tonnes GVW scrapped by the Owner within last 6 months. Note:  Discount to be offered to a person buying a vehicle against a Traded Certificate of Deposit of a Scrapped Commercial Vehicle.  The discount would be equivalent to 2.75% of the Ex-Showroom Price for scrapping a commercial cargo vehicle with more than 3.5 tonnes GVW.  A discount equivalent to 1.25% of the Ex- Showroom Price against a Traded Certificate of Deposit for scrapping a commercial cargo vehicle with less than 3.5 tonne GVW. Passenger Vehicles  Offered discounts of 1.5% of the ex- showroom price of new car OR Rs 20,000, Whichever is less, against the passenger vehicle scrapped by the owner in the last six months.  Details of the scrapped vehicle to be linked in the Vahan system.  Companies may voluntarily offer additional discounts on identified models.  Mercedes Benz India has offered a flat discount of INR 25,000, which will be over and above all existing discounts. Cabinet approves two new lines and one multi-tracking project across Indian Railways  Why in News? o Cabinet approved 3 (Three) projects of Ministry of Railways with total estimated cost of Rs. 6,456 Crore (approx.). www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 10 - The 3 (Three) projects covering 7 Districts in 4 States i.e., Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 300 Kms. - With these projects 14 New Stations will be constructed, providing enhancing connectivity to 2 (Two) Aspirational Districts (Nuapada and East Singhbum). - New Line projects will provide connectivity to approx. 1,300 villages and about 11 Lakh population. Multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 1,300 villages and about 19 lakh population. - The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 45 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). Union Government issues Comprehensive Guidelines for Handling Public Grievances  Why in News? o Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has issued Comprehensive Guidelines for Handling Public Grievances for making grievance redressal time-bound, accessible and meaningful. o The Key Highlights are: - Appointment of Nodal Officers for Public Grievances in all Ministries/ Departments who will address grievances promptly, fairly and efficiently. Ministries/ Departments with high grievance loads to have dedicated Nodal Officers. - The Role of the Nodal Officer is effective categorization, monitoring pendency, examine the feedback for process and policy improvements, undertake root cause analysis, collation of monthly data sets and supervisory oversight of the Grievance Redressal Officers of the Ministry/ Department. - The Grievance Redressal timelines under the 2022 policy guidelines were 30 days, which have been brought down to 21 days.  In cases where grievance redressal is likely to take longer, citizens shall be given an interim reply. - Training and Capacity building of grievance officers on CPGRAMS shall be conducted through 36 Administrative www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 11 Training Institutes of States/ UT’s under the SEVOTTAM scheme. - A grievance redressal assessment index for ranking Ministries/ Departments shall be issued on a monthly basis. - Government will undertake an analysis of the feedback from citizens using the AI powered analytical tools – the tree dashboard and the intelligent grievance monitoring dashboard. - If the citizen is not satisfied, he can file an appeal to the next senior authority. o The 2024 Policy Guidelines reiterate the Government’s commitment for Effective Grievance Redressal and manifest the technology improvements undertaken with the 10-step reform process adopted. Cabinet approves rolling out Private FM Radio to 234 uncovered new cities / towns  Why in News? o The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for conduct of 3rd batch of ascending e- auctions for 730 channels in 234 new cities with estimated reserve price of Rs.784.87 crore under Private FM Radio Phase Ill Policy. o The Cabinet also approved the proposal to charge Annual License Fee (ALF) of FM channel as 4% of Gross Revenue excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST). - This will be applicable for 234 new cities/towns. o Many of the approved cities / towns are in Aspirational districts and LWE affected areas. 2nd Meeting of Joint Russian- Indian Commission  Why in News? o 2nd Meeting of Joint Russian- Indian Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management held in Moscow, Russia.  Outcome of the meeting: o India and Russia sign working plan of Joint Russian- Indian Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management for 2025-2026. o They also decided to continue exchange of the best practices and lesson learnt in the field of Disaster Management. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 12 o This meeting is significant to draw a strategy for executing the previous agreements between India and Russia, such as, Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for cooperation in the field of Emergency Management in December, 2010 and Regulation to establish the Indo- Russian Joint Commission for Cooperation (2013) in prevention and elimination of consequences of emergency situations. o They have decided to conduct the next meeting of the Indo-Russian Joint Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management in India in 2026.  The first meeting of the Indo-Russian Joint Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management was held in New Delhi in 2016. Dr Abhijit Mitra, the Animal Husbandry Commissioner inaugurates Animal Infectious Disease Prioritization Workshop  Why in News? o A three-day workshop on Animal Infectious Disease Prioritization organised by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the aegis of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India. o Location: New Delhi. Department of Higher Education selects 16 teachers from HEIs and Polytechnics  Why in News? o Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education selects 16 teachers in HEIs and Polytechnic for National Awards to Teachers (NAT) 2024. o The selection procedure for NAT-2024 involves two-steps process; (i) Evaluation by Preliminary Search-cum Screening Committee for initial shortlisting of nominees and (ii) Committee of 'Jury' for selection of awardees from the shortlisted nominees. VICE ADMIRAL RAJESH DHANKHAR TAKES OVER AS DIRECTOR GENERAL  Why in News? o Vice Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar takes over as Director General Project Seabird. o Project seabird is the largest defence infrastructure project. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455  Crack Grade B 13 "Experience Sharing and Capacity Building Conference on Disaster Management"  Why in News? o Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation, and Training (NTIPRIT) and LSA Delhi, hosts "Experience Sharing and Capacity Building Conference on Disaster Management". International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare Exhibition  Why in News? o International Exhibition For Pharma And Healthcare Exhibition (IPHEX 2024) organised by Pharma Export Promotion Council of India (CAPEXIL) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. o Location: Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh “Matri Van”  Why in News? o The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will set up “Matri Van” in about 1 acre of land at IARI campus, PUSA. www.crackgradeb.com | [email protected] | 9310558455